I'm still here!

Yes, I'm still here. Just been busy with plans and preparations for Christmas, plus the daily ongoings of our busy little family. So I'm going to share a bunch of stuff that has been on my heart lately and I apologize for lumping it all together but it's the easiest way!

This past Sunday we had the pleasure of hearing an awesome guest speaker at our church. He spoke about reconciliation, and how it's a gift of Advent. I wanted to share one important thing he said, because it just really made me think. "He (Jesus) has given us the greatest gift; the ability to be reconciled to God."

In this season we spend a lot of time (and money) thinking about gifts: buying gifts, giving gifts and receiving gifts. But the greatest gift of all was given to mankind hundreds of years ago in the form of a tiny baby's birth! And what I love to think about is the fact that it's a gift that was freely given. A gift that I have no possible means to repay ... except that I give Him my life, my devotion and my belief in Him. And through that simple faith I can be reconciled to God!! He has paid for my sin! I can't think of a greater gift that I would want to have this Christmas season!

So following along the thoughts on reconciliation I want to share the words of a great Christmas song which speaks of Christ's birth, and the second birth we can receive by trusting in Him.

Hark! the herald angels sing
Glory to the new-born King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With the angelic host proclaim
Christ is born in Bethlehem!
Hark! the herald angels sing
Glory to the new-born King!

Christ, by highest heaven adored;
Christ, the everlasting Lord;
Late in time behold him come,
Offspring of the Virgin's womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
Hail the incarnate Deity,
Pleased as man with man to dwell;
Jesus, our Emmanuel!

Mild he lays his glory by,
Born that man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
Risen with healing in his wings,
Light and life to all he brings,
Hail, the Sun of Righteousness!
Hail, the heaven-born Prince of Peace!

Hail the Heaven-born Prince of Peace
Hail the Son of Righteousness
Light and life to all He brings
Risen with healing in His wings
Mild He lay His glory by
Born that man no more may die

Come Desire of Nations come,
Fix in us thy humble home.
Rise, the woman's conquering Seed,
Bruise in us the serpent's head.
Adam's likeness now efface
Stamp thine image in its place

OK, the next song I want to share is one we sang in church a few weeks ago. I tell ya, I can barely sit through a service without shedding a few tears! The words of the songs just bring me to tears so many times! I highlighted the last verse since the words there were especially comforting to me. In this crazy world where it seems almost daily that we hear of more random shootings, more violence and hate crimes ... I know that "I am His and He is mine, bought with the precious blood of Christ."

IN CHRIST ALONE

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest
drought and storm

What heights of love,
what depths of peace
When fears are stilled,
when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ Alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save

'Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave he rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

In Christ alone I place my trust
And find my glory in the power
of the cross
In every victory let it be said of me
My source of strength
My source of hope
In Christ alone I place my trust
And find my glory in the power
of the cross
In every victory let it be said of me
My source of strength
My source of hope
In Christ alone

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His Hand
'til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.

OK, what other things can I share? Is anyone still reading at this point?? :) Well, we have been busy, doing lots of fun little things in order to get ready for Christmas. We've been baking cookies, driving around at night to see all the pretty lights, been to an awesome light parade, strung popcorn and cranberries for our tree, sent out our Christmas cards, shopped and wrapped and read stories about Christmas and the meanings behind all the traditions.

OH, and before I forget, as you read before we had our 11th anniversary. My wonderful hubby took me out to my absolute favorite restauarant for a romantic dinner last week. He also gave me a pair of gorgeous hoop earrings that have little diamonds on them. What a great guy I have!! I wanted to share a picture or two from our night out. (Wish I had a scanner to add a photo from our wedding!!)

OK, I couldn't resist adding this one of the girls too. They love their new dresses so much they want to wear them every Sunday! And here they are in front of our Christmas tree. :)
OK, I have ONE last thing I want to share before I go. I'm sorry this has been SO long winded! My friend Sarah that lives in FL is such a wonderful friend. She is always surprising me with things in the mail! So this week I was super excited to receive a gift package from her. And she must have known that I couldn't wait to open the gifts until Christmas because she included this awesome book about Christmas.
It's written by Lisa Welchel, the girl who played Blair on the Facts of Life. She's a Christian, and a homeschooling Mom. And I have been incredibly blessed by several of her books already. She's a very real person and I appreciate that about her. So this book about Christmas is amazing! Every Mom should have a copy for the holidays! She takes every single element of Christmas and talks about the origin, meaning and spiritual application of it. Even things like Christmas lights and trees can turn our focus to God. It also gives neat activities and crafts to try with your kids. I know this is a book we will pull out year after year to enjoy!


So I think that's all for now. I will try to update more often so my posts won't be this long! Hope everyone is enjoying the season, and taking time to focus on the importance of Christ's birth instead of the commercialism, stress and busy-ness.
OK, one more thing, a verse to keep it all in focus ... H is 6 years old and already has this memorized. If a child can focus on God at this time of year, surely we can too! "Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:11

Check us out!!

We are Santa's little dancing elves ... just doing our part to spread some good cheer (and laughs!)

Enjoy!
http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1157092790

WOO HOO ... 11 years of marriage!

Today is our 11th anniversary. It's hard to believe how fast 11 years has flown by and how much we've grown in that time. In honor of our 11 special years, here are 11 things I love about being married to Bob.

1. He is my best friend. Even before we were dating, while we were seeing other people, we could always talk to one another about anything. That is one thing that really made me fall for him.
2. We love to have fun together. We've been on so many fun trips both before kids and now with our kids. It's been a fun 11 years.
3. We don't fight. Really, we don't! We talk, we disagree, we get upset, but we don't argue and fight. We are very much alike in our thinking and there aren't too many things we disagree on.
4. He is very patient. With me, with the kids, with his friends, with his workmates ...
5. He would do anything for me.
6. He is very helpful. He helps around the house, he helps with the kids ...
7. He gives awesome huge, bear hugs. :)
8. He's a great cook, and he loves to do it on his days off, which gives me a break!
9. We are soulmates. I'm not really sure how to explain it, but we are. :)
10. When the girls and I go away for the weekend without him, he misses us so much that he can't sleep well at night. I feel bad about this, but also find it incredibly sweet!
11. He's a family man. He loves our little family, his family, and my family. He always makes family time his priority.

There's so much more I could say! It will be fun to compile this list when we've been married for 30+ years!!! Happy Anniversary Bob! I love you even more today than I did 11 years ago when I married you! XOXOXOXO

Wednesday Mornings.

I just love Wednesday mornings. I know, seems kinda strange being that it's the middle of the work week, but I really do love Wednesdays.

Wednesday is the day we have ladies Bible study at church. It's such a neat experience. I often feel as though it's a moment of quiet rest in the middle of a busy week. I know, seems weird for me to describe ladies Bible study as 'quiet' and 'restful', but it really is.

It's that one morning a week when I can sit and enjoy the music, speaker, prayer, fellowship and learning. I was sitting there this morning thinking, 'wow, this is the first I've sat totally still and silent all week!'. My girls are both well cared for while I'm at study ... J is in preschool and H goes in class with other homeschoolers. I can restfully sit in His presence without a care in the world. No housework, no cooking, no cleaning, no kids, no things to keep me busy and distract me. Just time with Jesus. (And other ladies who challenge me to learn and grow more!)

I love that I always leave feeling refreshed and like I've learned so much more about God's Word.

The other thing I love about Wednesdays is that ladies Bible study is kind of like a yankee swap for me. There isn't a week that goes by when I'm not borrowing or returning something from someone. One week a friend borrowed some boots of mine, sometimes my Mom is returning books to me that she's borrowed, I'm also often returning books, sometimes I am returning a dish that a friend left at my house, or they are returning a sweater they borrowed. It's always a fun day to swap and I love the sense of community I get from doing that.

Thank you Lord for this day of rest in the middle of my busy week! I just love Wednesdays!
'Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.' Matthew 11:28

My little sports fans!

You can tell my girls are Daddy's girls all the way ... here is the conversation we had at the breakfast table this morning ...

Me, "guess what? The Patriot's won last night!"
H, "YAY, I hope they go all the way ... "
J pipes in, "...and win the trophy like the Red Sox did!!!"
H, "yeah, that would be great!"

I think they might be the only 2 little girls I know who care more about sports teams and scores than they do about being girly girls! :)

Thanksgiving Pictures!

We have SO much to be thankful for! God, family, freedom, a home, health, friends, we could go on and on! We are also blessed by many, many family and friends who enrich our lives in so many ways!

I love that when you get together with friends or family that you haven't seen in awhile .... it's like you were never apart and you can just pick up right where you left off the last time you saw one another. We had Thanksgiving here at our house this year. We had family from 4 different states visiting and it was a great time. For those we couldn't see, we missed you and are thankful for you ... and hope to see you at the next holiday celebration, if not sooner!

Oh and I can't forget to thank all of those in my amazing family. Aunt Fran bought the 4 little girls these gorgeous Christmas dresses, tights and hair bows, they were SO adorable! Aunt Dale got them some yummy cookie decorating kits which you will see in the later photos. Aunt Chris brought some fun Christmas crafts to keep them busy. And Mom was my handy helper in the kitchen ... I don't think I would have gotten everything on the table on time without her! I love my family!!

Here are some pictures:
Great-Grandpa H. with his 3 great-granddaughters and youngest granddaughter. H, Becca, J and Megan.
My cousin Rick with all the little ladies ...
Cousins! And kids of cousins, or second cousins, or however that works!! Matt, Rick and I with the 4 little girls.
My girls.
The 'kids' table. I can remember those days growing up!!!!
A shot of the ladies, myself, Mom, Aunt Dale and Aunt Chris with the girls.
H and Megan were two peas in a pod! They are 9 months apart in age.
My sweet girls!!
Matt and Becca. She's a Daddy's girl for sure!
Grandma S. with the girls.
Trying to get all 4 to smile and hold their hands still!!!



I like this one! They are SO cute!!!
Doing crafts downstairs.
Megan - 5 yrs old
H - 6 yrs old
Becca - 4 and a 1/2 yrs old
J (4 and 1/2 yrs) with Mom ... who has such a beautiful smile with her braces off!!!

We snuggled all up to watch 'Ratatouille' later that night. Grandma snuggling the two youngest. They ALL look tired!

Megan and H again. Reading them books to try to get everyone settled down for bed. Friday at Grandma's house .... decorating the cookies that Aunt Dale brought.
Give 'em cookies, frosting and candy and you KNOW they were having the time of their lives!!

YUMMMYYYY!!!

Niagara trip part 2!

After leaving Stacey and Rob's house, we drove to Niagara Falls since the girls have never been there. Thanks to our friend Rob we got to stay in a beautiful suite at the Seneca Niagara Casino for one night. We spent the afternoon exploring the American side of the falls, then swimming at the hotel and relaxing in the hotel room.

Niagara Falls park:
Seneca Niagara Casino ... we stayed in a corner room on the 14th floor!
H writing notes in her diary:
The girls were especially impressed with the HUGE tub in the middle of our hotel room ... after the pool they had fun having a bubble bath in the huge tub!
Pool area at Seneca:
H at the Falls:
J:
DH and H on the sky bridge ... right before DH said he felt sick from being up so high!
Me and J:
Beautiful!!
Later that night we crossed the border to Canada and met two of my cousins for dinner. It was great to see them and catch up after almost 6 years! Here are the girls and I with Karen and David:

Buffalo - Niagara trip!

We went on an awesome trip last weekend to Buffalo to visit our good friends Stacey and Rob and their family. It was great to see their new home (we haven't been there since they moved there about a year and a half ago). And they have a beautiful new baby girl Abby who we were very happy to meet! The kids have been friends with Hannah and Nick since birth and it was neat to see them start playing right away as if no time had passed at all!
Here is Hannah and H:
Hannah, H, J and Nick:
H and Hannah again:
Stacey and Rob have a beautiful home ... Stacey had it all decorated for Christmas already and it was just gorgeous!

Here is beautiful little Abby!!
Playing outside:
Our kids and a few neighbors that stopped over to play:Rob took us to the Bills - Patriot's game which was AWESOME! We got to watch the game from the Bills suite so we didn't have to sit out in the freezing cold! The big kids got to stay home and have fun with a babysitter but Stacey brought Abby to the game and she stayed cozy and warm in the suite:
DH and I overlooking the field prior to the start of the game:
Stacey and I:Rob, Abby, Joel and DH:
Rob and StaceyIsn't she adorable??? H holding Abby on our last morning there:
J and Abby:
We had so much fun with our friends! They extended wonderful hospitality and lots of fun to us. It was great to go visit! I will post the second part of our trip in the next blog ... stay tuned!